Energia Group celebrates women in engineering on International Women’s Day
Energia Group is proud to join International Women’s Day to celebrate women in engineering and to inspire girls to consider engineering as a career choice during STEPS Engineer’s Week. Engineer’s Week is a celebration of the world of engineering in Ireland which runs from 5-11 March.
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. As a leading developer and operator of renewable energy across the island of Ireland we are proud to celebrate some of the female engineering talent in our company.
Eadaoin McLoughlin graduated from UCD with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 2014. She has built her expertise working on engineering projects both here in Ireland and further afield in the Middle East. Eadaoin joined Energia Group in 2021 as a Project Manager in our Renewables team.
Speaking about the project that she is currently heading up she said, “The Castlereagh Battery Energy Storage Project is Energia Group’s first grid connected battery site and is a key piece of infrastructure that will help our transition to net zero. Battery storage facilities like Castlereagh will help the stability of the electricity grid during times of high renewable generation by storing electricity which can then be released back into the system very quickly when needed.”
Eadaoin added, “Throughout my career I have worked with talented engineers who have share their knowledge generously. I love problem solving and in school I enjoyed maths and physics, in fact it was my Physics teacher who encouraged me to consider a career in engineering – I am so glad I did.”
Tricia Murray graduated from Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) with a degree in Construction Economic and from Trinity College Dublin with a Masters in Environmental Science and is Energia’s Energy Services Manager. Speaking about why she wants to promote Engineering as a career choice for young women she said, “When I studied engineering in the nineties there were only 4 girls in my class. In the workplace, as engineers we use our creativity and innovative approach to help solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.
Take for example Climate Change, in my role, my team and I work with business customers to improve their energy efficiency and reduce their carbon emissions and transition away from the use of fossil fuels. Energia Group are developing windfarms, solar farms and battery storage solutions critical to helping Ireland meet its climate action ambitions. Engineering and in particular the Energy sector offers exciting opportunities for career development. I would certainly recommend Engineering as a career choice to young people especially if they enjoy solving problems and working in collaboration with many other professions.”
Following her graduation from Queens University Belfast, having been awarded with a Masters degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering Rachael O’Boyle joined Energia Group’s Graduate Engineering Programme in 2021. Speaking about what she enjoys most about her job Rachael said, “I love that I am part of an expert team working on some really exciting projects that are core to decarbonising Ireland’s energy system. One of my first roles was on the team replacing once of the largest electrical transformers on the island at the Huntstown energy campus last year. This project was a huge success and served to highlight the important role the Huntstown plants play in providing security of supply and supporting the energy transition. I am currently working on new wind farm development including feasibility studies, site selection, design and construction programmes. Since joining Energia Group I have enjoyed working on a variety of different energy projects and have really developed my expertise.”
Energia Group is building an inclusive company culture that leverages diversity and supports professional development opportunities for women. In 2021 the Group signed up to Business in the Community’s Elevate pledge and we launched our Women in Energy Network as part of the company’s broader Diversity and Inclusion programme. As part of the Women in Energy network a number of groups were created including; Women’s Health and Well-being; Early Career Women; Women Returners and Aspiring Women all of which are aimed at supporting women through various career and personal milestones.
To find out more about our leading female engineers please visit www.energiagroup.com
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